“The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what
you have, instead of what you don't have”.
-Woody Allen
While almost
all of his films have an ‘independent’ label, he has still managed to find mass
success as a director. Indie films are
generally becoming more popular although there are more films that have
branched out from Hollywood labels, and this may be good news for current film
students or aspiring directors. Some may
describe Woody Allen as a Jewish American man with lofty ambitions and a quirky
sense of humour, but the reality is that he is as clever as they come,
cinematically speaking.
Without getting too deep into biographical detail, Allen was
born in New York City in 1935 but he was not called “Woody” (b. Allen Stewart
Konigsberg). Annie Hall (1977)
became one of his most famous films and its merit for academic study still remains
in the modern day – with good reason. Midnight
in Paris (2011) saw Allen’s directorial flare rise once again in a film
filled with imagination and an admiral disregard for impossibility. These two films may have been released nearly
35 years apart, but make no mistake that both are the typical Woody Allen work
that has come to define his touch as a director. One could go as far to say that Allen is an auteur. There are many filmic elements that are
trademark to Allen’s style and some of them can be seen in the following
clips. Please watch and enjoy.
^^The above clip is, in a word, ridiculous. Woody Allen is frequently known to appear,
and often star, in the films that he directs.
The fellow wearing glasses and nearly having a hemorrhage from listening
to the other man in the background talk is the director – this man had a
vision. When he breaks the fourth wall
(film technique), the audience is taken off guard and made to feel like they
are important, which is exactly what Allen wants to convey. Furthermore, this reminds the audience that
they are simply being entertained. While
a common technique in his films, it is far more uncommon in many Hollywood movies
where the director’s goal is to hold the audience captivated. The camera position is simple and this allows
Allen to focus more on the mise-en-scene
and character dialogue containing trivial irony and an air of expectation:
something has to happen. “Boy, if life
were only like this.” Boy, does he know
it.
^^Woody Allen also has an undoubted fascination with people. The opening scene from Midnight in Paris
supports this, but Allen’s introduction is suitable and sets the stage well for
a story to be spun. The voiceover of
actor Owen Wilson during the final leg of the credits is purposeful; after
seeing a brief tour of Paris the audience is ready to meet the film’s
characters. Nothing overly special with
it, just a pinch of characterisation and background information, but Allen has
successfully made a memorable opening scene.
Along with films such as the recently released To Rome With Love,
Allen creates films that have a European feel for a predominantly American audience.
^^Enter the scene that could be effectively known as the
scene Owen Wilson’s character’s fiancée thinks he’s finally fallen off his
rocker. (Did I mention that the plot is
satisfying as well?) And then there is
that moment of magic when the clock strikes midnight. The conversation with Hemmingway was insightful
and eye-catching, while at the same time a sort of homage to art in general and
artists in particular.
Well done, Woody.
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